


Set the World on Fire with You

by miss_tatiana



Category: X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, College AU, F/F, I love my girls, sort of a jail fic?, they bond in temporary holding cells
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-19
Updated: 2017-07-19
Packaged: 2018-12-04 01:11:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11544315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miss_tatiana/pseuds/miss_tatiana
Summary: Jean finds herself in an overnight holding cell right next to Emma, some kid in a few of her classes who she'd always pegged - well, completely wrong, as she discovers. She's dazzled by Emma's how-I-was-arrested story, and the two make fantastical plans for a revolution together.





	Set the World on Fire with You

**Author's Note:**

> for emmajean fic weeks 2017

“What’s a girl like you doing in a place like this?”

Jean rolled her eyes, not looking back at the girl in the cell next to hers. Of course, on the one night she could’ve been arrested, preppy Emma Frost from her financial management class had been locked up too. “A temporary holding cell?” Jean quipped. She was tired. It was two am. She wanted to get back to her dorm, to her bed. 

“I mean it. You seem way too teacher’s pet to ever end up in jail,” Emma said, flicking her hair back over her shoulder and leaning on the wall, her arms threading through the bars and hanging into Jean’s cell. 

Jean stared out into the back of the officer at the desk, who was facing away from them and towards the door to the station. “You seem too rich, but here we are.” 

“I broke into the city council chamber,” Emma said smoothly. “I would’ve gotten away, but I didn’t want to run in heels. There’s no dignity in running in heels, you know.”

Jean turned sharply, looking at Emma for the first time since she was escorted into her cell. “You broke into City Hall?” she asked, almost sure that Emma was just making it up to build herself a higher throne. 

Emma nodded, standing up straight. “You know how involved I am in current affairs, darling, the news and that. The city council has corruption running straight down the center of it, and no one cares. I was trying to take something. Documents, records, something I could show to people and get them to take an interest, enough to try and change things.”

Squinting, Jean took a few steps over to the bars and watched Emma check her nails. “I never took you as an anarchist, you know.”

“I’m not an anarchist,” Emma replied, voice full of faux-surprise. “I’m a realist, and I believe in no closed doors, unless the doors are mine.”

“I’m not an anarchist, says the girl who was trying to cause a city government collapse,” Jean murmured, laughing quietly. “Really, though, you struck me as someone who would go with rules.”

“Never in a million years,” Emma argued, a smirk teasing her lips, “would I go with a rule. Unless I’ve made the rule, of course.”

Jean sighed. There was none of the uncomfortable animosity that had been in the air between her and Emma when she’d first come in. She felt comfortable - well, she was cold, and she didn’t have a sweater, and she hadn’t sat down in hours, and there was some bruising around her wrists where the handcuffs had snapped down. Comfortable with Emma, she supposed. Nothing else felt even mildly okay. “Just for the record, I mean- I don’t really know why I’m saying this, but- I’m with you. Not entirely, I think my views are way less extreme, but government censorship is a bitch.”

“A complete bitch,” Emma agreed good-naturedly. She shook her head, as if she was considering something she shouldn’t be. “I want to go back, you know.”

“Back-?” Jean raised an eyebrow. 

“Back to City Hall.” Emma’s eyes hardened in an exciting way, like she’d just cemented the plan in her mind, and it would only be a matter of time before she was able to carry it out. “I’ll go back and I’ll get whatever I need to wake people up. I want to start a revolution.”

“Just within this city? I mean, Westchester County isn’t that big,” Jean pointed out. She was bringing up oppositions, but like she would in debate club, when she was pitted against something she actually believed in. They were valid points, but she would abandon them for her views on the idea when it came down to it. 

Emma shrugged. “And it’s upstate. Not ideal, darling, I’ll admit that, but I’ll tell you what. It’s in New York, the cultural hotspot of the country. When something happens, people look to New York. If I do manage to start whatever it’ll be, I’ll be right in the middle of the country’s spotlight. Everyone’s eyes will be on me.”

Jean couldn’t think of an argument against that, and despite her better nature she was getting fired up with Emma’s ideas. She wanted to be there, guarding the door while Emma stole whatever she needed to from the City Hall filing cabinets, she wanted to be there, standing at Emma’s right shoulder, as Emma spun the deceit she’d confirmed with the documents for a public audience. She wanted to be there to fight for a fairer ruling power. “Emma, just stop-” She shook her head, smiling. “-stop talking. You’re making me adventurous.”

“That’s never a bad thing,” Emma responded.

Jean bit her lip, but there was no stopping herself from saying something that she knew she wouldn’t regret. “When you go back, can-”

“-can you tag along?” Emma laughed, and her face without any of its deadpan guards up was as radiant as the diamonds she wore on her ears. “Well, look at us. We’re already finishing each other’s sentences, I think that’s a definite yes.”

Jean nodded, her entire body filling up with energy and happiness. “Good.” She couldn’t keep a grin off her face. “Great. Okay.”

“After all,” Emma said, shooting Jean a knowing glance. “A revolt isn’t a one person gig.”

Jean kept nodding, and a little bit of the euphoria slipped away, to be replaced quickly with nerves. “But maybe could I wait outside? Be the getaway driver? Because I don’t know if I really want to risk that, I’m not done getting my degree, I really want to be a professor-” She stopped, her voice breaking down into a worried laughter. 

Emma smiled, genuinely, and she looked kind. “Of course. I’m your prison wife, I’m not about to say no to you.”

“Emma!” Jean exclaimed “This- this is temporary, it’s not a prison- it’s a holding cell- you’re not-” She looked over, and saw Emma laughing at her. She sighed, defensive arguments melting away into a giggle. 

The door of the station opened, and both girls looked up. Hank stormed through the door, going straight up to the desk and beginning to speak quickly and quietly with the police officer manning the cells. 

“You know him?” Emma asked under her breath, gesturing to Hank with a nod of her head. 

Jean nodded. “He’s a year older than us and he sort of takes care of all of us - me, Scott, Warren, and Bobby - he’s graduating this Spring. He basically taught us how to live without parents while functioning as a parent at the same time.” She winced. “He looks pissed.”

“Well, I’d be too if I were paying bail, darling.”

“You’re not-”

Emma shook her head. “I have rich family members for that. I already called.” 

“They arrested me for graffiti,” Jean said quickly. Before Emma could laugh at her, and before the officer at the desk could come and let her go, she justified herself. “It wasn’t me, it was Bobby, and he’d never done it before but he thought it was quote unquote cool and wanted to try, but he doesn’t like going out alone at night, and so when the cops inevitably showed up, he took off. I wasn’t as lucky. I’m sure he’ll be at the dorm when I get back.”

Emma nodded, and when she tried to restrain herself from laughing, she snorted. Just the tiniest bit. 

“So that’s what a girl like me was doing in a place like this,” Jean concluded as the officer left the desk and unlocked her cell door. 

Emma nodded again. As Jean went around the desk and converged with Hank, the pair beginning to walk off towards the exit, she called out, “Hey! Can’t wait to set the world on fire with you.”


End file.
